


Can't Help Loving the Schemer

by EuphoricMother



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Emotions, F/M, Oral Sex, Post-Time Skip, Sex, Swimming, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21873694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EuphoricMother/pseuds/EuphoricMother
Summary: Byleth deals with the burdens after killing those she knew at Gronder the best she knows how.  Claude steps in to help her after he inadvertently pushes to the edge during a war council.“You do exasperate me sometimes, Claude.”  She watched him smile in a way that told her he was well aware of this fact.  “It’s like your mind works independently from the rest of us and on a different level."“I knew that I was starting to piss you off.  Not a smart move on my part.  I am sorry, Teach.”
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	Can't Help Loving the Schemer

“Teach, wait,” Claude’s attempt to stop Byleth as she purposely walked out of the Cardinal’s room signaling the conclusion of their war council meeting fell on deaf ears. He shook his head and heaved a sigh as he watched her disappear around the hallway corner.

“Ooof, looks like you kinda made her mad,” Hilda pointed out as she jabbed her elbow into Claude’s side. “Didn’t expect that.”

“Not now, Hilda,” he dismissed as he turned back into the room to gather his papers. Something was not quite right, he decided as his teeth bit into the inside of his lower lip. It wasn’t at all like her to just storm away. Oh, he had received the blank stare many times. Many times in the now distant past that was academy days, that is. But time had taken that away. Until now.

“Well, it appears this meeting has come to a swift conclusion,” Lorenz pointed out as everyone was moving toward the door. “It would appear as if even our professor is tired of your scheming, Claude. Let’s hope that she does not decide to just abandon us altogether.”

Claude closed his eyes a moment in an effort to garner patience for the purple annoyance before saying, “That won’t happen, Lorenz.” He waved a dismissing hand now. “Just go and leave Teach to me. All will be fine. Trust me.”

“Famous last words,” Lorenz commented as he continued down the hall to the library.

Byleth entered her room and closed the door leaning back against it as she heaved a sigh. Storming out of the meeting was a stupid thing to do, she decided. All Claude needed to do was stop talking about his schemes for taking Fort Merceus and listen to the hard facts that it was well guarded, well armed, and under the Death Knight’s rule. Just stop talking. 

His schemes and ideas for approaching battles were always off-center from everyone else’s. She knew that well and also knew that it wasn’t always a bad thing. His mind worked in devious ways sometimes and most of the time, she had to admit, it was enough to tip the battle. Still, this upcoming battle was not going to be easy and needed to be approached with care. No one could die. 

Her brows lowered as her mind shifted thoughts. Perhaps, it wasn’t Claude’s ideas at all that set her off. In truth, there was absolutely nothing about the way he was approaching this battle that was different from any other in the grand scheme of things. Nothing, and yet… She drew a deep breath. Perhaps, it was just too soon after all the death of people she knew when they were just students, trying to learn, that had to die at their hands at Gronder. Perhaps, it was the violent death of Dimitri. Dimitri. She tightly closed her eyes. But perhaps, it was feeling the pressure from some to find Rhea. No, it was just everything. Everything. The knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. Holding her breath, she willed whoever it was to just go away. 

“I know you’re in there, Teach. Come on.” 

Claude’s voice was quiet, as if his head were pressed against the other side of the door. She squeezed her eyes closed. She knew she needed to face him. Deal with her abrupt departure in a room full of Golden Deer by apologizing to them all. Just not yet. 

“I know that I tend to push too hard sometimes,” his voice continued from the other side of the door. “I also knew that I was starting to piss you off. Not a smart move on my part. I am sorry, Teach.” There was a brief pause. “Come on, my friend, I know you. There is something going on. Please, don’t shut me out.”

Byleth swallowed against the urge to yell out for him to go away. 

"Come on, Teach. I can stand here all day and night talking, you know. Might even draw a crowd before I'm done." He paused a moment and let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, Teach, talk to me. Please. Or I might be forced to pick this lock and let myself in."

She knew he was serious about picking her lock and would, no doubt, begin the process soon. Even if Claude was the one person that pushed her to the edge today, there was also something about him that could bring her back. She knew it to be true. Reaching her hand out, she opened the door remaining behind it. Her eyes watched Claude slowly step in and look around before turning to face her as she leaned back against the door pushing it closed again.

Her eyes, usually wide and sparkling green were weary and blank. The very sight of it tore into his heart since it had been years since he witnessed this detached expression in her. He wanted to just grab her and hug her tightly while telling her whatever it was, it would be all right.

“Teach,” he moved toward her, noticing her stiffen slightly against the door. Regardless of this, he reached out and slowly trailed the back of his fingers against her cheek before trailing them under her chin and tipping her face up to look at him. “I know this isn’t just because I couldn’t stop talking at you earlier.” His eyes stared into hers now, watching them just stare back, empty. “What is it? Please, let me help you.”

She drew a steady breath in an effort to regain all control and closed her eyes for a moment before clearing her throat and opening them to stare into his dark green eyes. “It isn’t that easy, Claude,” her voice a near whisper. 

His hand moved from her chin, trailed down her neck and came to rest on her shoulder. “Maybe not. Still, I’d like to try. Sometimes, it is just as easy as venting it all out.” His fingers gave her a little squeeze. “Go ahead and just yell at me if it will make you feel better. If I was the push that sent you over the edge, you may as well take it out on me. No one here to hear it but me.” He winked at her now. “Unless you plan on getting pretty loud that is.” His brows lifted. “I am dead serious here. Perhaps, you have never tried it but belting out all your frustrations at once can be rather liberating. Give it a try.”

Byleth stared at him while Claude patiently waited for her to say something….anything. He decided to prod her a bit. “I’m all ears, Teach. Just talk to me. Or yell.”

A heavy breath of exasperation flowed out her nostrils. “First, call me Byleth. I am not your teacher any more, I am your equal.”

Claude’s brows lifted. She was many things to him, but an equal was something he had never once considered. Still, he would curb his instinct to point this out, for now.

“Next, I am sorry that I just walked out of the meeting. It was…improper, and I will need to apologize to everyone.” She raised her hand to hush Claude before the words he was clearly about to speak spilled out of his mouth. “Before you say anything, I need you to know it wasn’t your fault.” She let a smirk twist her lips. “Well, not entirely your fault.”

“You do exasperate me sometimes, Claude.” She watched him smile in a way that told her he was well aware of this fact. “It’s like your mind works independently from the rest of us and on a different level. Perhaps it’s that Almyran part of you.” She watched his brow lift. “Yes,I know. I also know you want to keep that a secret, and your secret is safe with me.”

“I think it was a bad idea to push on for this war council meeting today,” she sighed. “It is just too soon after all the…” she paused and shook her head. “I think all of us were taken aback by the battle at Gronder.” Without even thinking about it she began to pace. “I think all of us were surprised, and even happy to see that Dimitri was alive. That didn’t last long, did it,” she stated sadly. 

“No, it didn’t,” Claude agreed quietly. “You are right, as always, Byleth. Pushing ahead too quickly is a difficult thing to do, but you know as well as I do that with the Empire licking their wounds after Gronder we can’t wait too long to advance.”

Byleth stared at him for a moment before she began to pace like a caged animal. “I know that,” she ground out in a sharper tone than she had intended. “I know all too well how you push on, stack up the bodies, move to the next job, repeat. I know all too well,” she finished quietly. 

She stopped pacing now and looked at him raising a finger, “But all of that was supposed to have changed for me when I settled in here to become a professor.” She chuckled now in spite of herself and began to pace again. “Right. I didn’t know anything about teaching, but here I was because Rhea wanted it. So, under Seteth’s constant surveillance and lack of confidence I pushed to prove I could do this and make you all into fighters. I began to feel...emotions. Then, my father was killed.” She stopped pacing now and looked at Claude. “After trying to deal with that and absorb the things in Jeralt’s diary that he never had the chance to actually tell me himself, I end up merging with Sothis, and I don’t know what that means. Then to top it all off, one of you decided to declare war.” 

She turned and looked at Claude as she continued, “Rhea morphs into a big-ass dragon, I get slammed by big dark balls of magic and fall off a cliff. Do I die?” Her head shakes as she begins pacing again. “Nope. I fall asleep in the muck for five years and make my way back to the only home I know now. Back here to the monastery. Where I find you.” She turns now and stares ahead, daring not to look at Claude in case her expression betrays her, and he may catch a glimpse of her face softening at the memory of seeing him again and how happy she was at that moment.

Claude watched her carefully. She was toying with her arm guards now and released them throwing them off, one after the other, into a corner with a loud thud.

“A reunion that should have been a joyous occasion,” she says quietly now. “It wasn’t meant to be at all,” she continues evenly. “War still wages on.” She walks over to Claude now and pokes her finger into his chest. “We fight and we fight. We kill people we shared time with. People we danced with at a ball, shared dinner with,” her eyes welled with tears. “Dimitri,” she whispered. “And what do we do now?” She feels a tear fall from her eye. “I’ll tell you, we’re supposed to just push on and on without time to even think about it. But I have to. I have to think about the lives of all of you. All of you.” She squeezed her eyes shut now. “If one of you dies under my command….” She drew a deep breath. “How could I live on after that?” she said in a husky whisper.

Claude couldn’t help himself any longer, he pulled her against him. One arm holding her close while the other slipped up to hold her head against his shoulder. “I’m really sorry, Byleth. Sometimes, I forget the person behind the warrior. The swamp that is my mind just looks to the end game sometimes. Believe me, I know the battle at Gronder took a heavy toll on all of us.” His hand smoothed over her hair while she continued to rest her head against him. “There isn’t one of us here that doesn’t trust you and your leadership.” He smiled now. “I know I’d follow you just about anywhere. Especially if it helps me see my goals come to fruition.”

“If we live long enough,” she whispered, lifting her head to look at him.

“We’ll live to fight another day, Byleth,” he told her as his eyes wandered over her face. “I have too much at stake. Too much left to accomplish. Too much we need to accomplish together.” He moved his hand now to touch her cheek before trailing down under her chin. Just the slightest pressure and she tipped her head so he could press his lips to hers. It was a brief kiss, but wildly potent. He didn’t quite count on that, he decided as he pulled back and looked at her staring back at him. 

“Thank you,” she offered quietly. “For listening to my prattling on.”

“Anytime,” he answered. “You have listened to my babbling many times.” His eyes wandered her face as she looked at him. He wanted to grab her and kiss her again. Feel her lips, her tongue, her body, everything. Now wasn’t the time. She was too raw, and he wouldn’t take advantage of that. Releasing her, he moved to the door, then stop to look at her before pulling it open. “You are the force that keeps us all going and bound together, Byleth, not me. Never forget that.” He winked at her. “See you at dinner.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Byleth stretched out on the pier at the fishing pond and stared up at the stars. Fell Star. Why did Solon call her that? Her brows furrowed as she thought of the possible reasons. Well, no matter. It was a beautiful clear evening, the water was softly lapping on the pilings, and she felt better now that she had purged her pent-up thoughts at Claude. With a sigh, she settled herself to just accept that life free of emotional burden would never be the case ever again. Learning to deal with it would be a new priority, she decided.

At least Claude had been a great help keeping conversations light and away from business during dinner. Even despite Lorenz attempting to insinuate that she was ready to put a damper on all of Claude’s schemes and battle tactics. It was almost as if her walking out on their meeting had never happened, and for that, she was grateful.

She rolled to her stomach, inching to the edge so she could trail one hand around in the cool water, the other arm crooked under her face while she bent her knees to cross her ankles together. It was so quiet and relaxing. Other than the occasional knight walking through on night patrol, everyone else seemed to be settled for the evening. 

Byleth heard the soft rustling movement behind her just a moment before she turned her head to watch Claude sit beside her. “I thought everyone had turned in for the night.” Her eyes roamed over his loose-fitting tunic, gold-colored pajama pants, and bare feet.

“Yeah, well, I went in but just didn’t stay there.” He offered. “I kept thinking about you, Teach.” His finger reached over and pushed a lock of her pale green hair away from her eye. “I hope you won’t let your thoughts build so much before you come and talk to me. I’ll always have time for you.”

“I appreciate that, Claude.” She pushed herself up now and sat beside him as he rolled up his pant legs and shifted to dangle his feet into the water. She swished her feet back and forth a moment before she leaned over against him and tipped her had to rest on his shoulder. “It is a beautiful night,” she commented and lifted her head to look at him in the dim filtering light from the greenhouse and few lanterns.

He nodded before turning his head to look at her. Her wide eyes sparkled in the light as she stared at him. Seeking her out had not been his intention this evening. It was pure chance that she was exactly where he was planning on spending some time thinking. She had been completely occupying his mind since he went to his room. Even as he relaxed in bed trying to fall asleep, thoughts of her were enough to keep him from staying there. Taking a walk to clear his head was a logical step. Yet, when he noticed her on the dock, it was like a moth to light, he was drawn directly to her.

Byleth moistened her lips with her tongue, reached up and urged his head lower so she could kiss him. Her mind had thought about it over and over. The barbarossa was on her mind and had replaced all of the other thoughts she had been dealing with only hours earlier. Every time she had been near him, she knew she wanted more and deliberately tried to space herself. Now, she knew she couldn’t unless he willed it so. His arm moved around her while his teeth gently nipped her lower lip telling her that he would not will it so.

His teeth gently pulled her lower lip before his tongue came out to trail over it. Her tongue met his and he seized the opportunity to deepen the kiss, entwining his tongue with hers. Claude held her tightly with one arm while his other hand moved to rest on her neck with his thumb gently moving along her jawline. Parting, Byleth looked into his eyes and smiled. Nothing mattered at all except that moment and the yearning feeling unfolding within her.

Her head tipped into his hand and her brows lifted. “Do you swim, Claude?”

“Excuse me?” It wasn’t that he didn’t hear her, it was that he was a tad bewildered by her question. That was until she pushed herself up and boldly pulled her top off over her head and pushed her leggings down to stand there totally naked, right before his very eyes. Perfectly toned and proportioned, lacking any hint of modesty around him, he watched as she dove into the pond. “Daaamn,” he finally drawled as he waited for her to surface a few feet away.

“Well?” she asked as she treaded water waiting to see if he would join her. “The water is wonderful,” she cooed. A giggle erupted from her as he stripped off and dove in to surface a few feet from her.

“You are just full of surprises, Byleth,” he said as slowly drifted around her just waiting for her next move.

She disappeared under the water again, and Claude expected her to swim closer to him. When she didn’t, he frowned and looked around the darkened pond feeling relief when she finally popped up over by the waterfall tower. “I can almost stand up over here,” she informed him while still treading. “Almost, but not quite.”

Claude slipped under the water and surfaced directly in front of her pushing his hand back through his hair before reaching out and pulling her with him as he moved more to the back edge of the pond where he could now easily stand. Turning, he pulled her against him and slightly groaned when she wrapped her legs around his hips while her hands slipped over his shoulders. 

“You sure as hell aren’t making things easy for me, are you,” Claude pointed out in a low husky voice while his hands slipped around her hips.

Byleth slowly shook her head. “I could see you when I tried to close my eyes in my room earlier. I could hear your voice in my head. I could almost smell your spicy scent around me,” she spoke in a near whisper, her fingers moving to ruffle in his wet hair at the back of his head. “I came out here to see if I could chase you out of my head, but instead, you appeared as if I had wished you here.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “Sounds like you and I share the same issue. I was being haunted by you as well.” His lips whispered over hers while his hands skated around her back to hug her closer. The feel of her naked body against his chest was driving his libido into overdrive and keeping it in check was getting harder to do. That was until…

“Professor Eisner and Claude!”

They turned their head to see Seteth standing at the edge of the water by the greenhouse. “Good evening, Seteth,” Claude greeted as he released Byleth, and she unwrapped her legs from him to tread water next to him.

“Hello, Seteth,” Byleth greeted. “It’s a tad warm tonight, so we decided to cool off a bit so we could sleep. Why are you out here tonight?”

“What I am doing is not the issue here. You two need to get out of the pond. It is not meant for evening swimming,” he informed in his usual stern voice. “What if Flayn were to see this display?”

“I’d say she might have a few questions for her brother,” Claude pointed out. “However, the water is great, Seteth. Care to join us?”

“I should say not.’ His arms folded over his chest now. “Both of you need to get over here and get out, now.”

“Well, aren’t you just a killjoy, and you have totally ruined the mood,” Claude pointed out. “I also think I should point out one minor detail before we swim over and I help Byleth hoist herself out of the water.”

“And that is.”

“All of our clothes are over there on the dock.”

“All of your…” his head turned to see the pile of clothing on the dock, “you mean—” he looked back at them now. “what is the meaning of this!? You are being entrusted with the Archbishop’s duties in her absence, Byleth. And this is what you are doing?”

“Oh, really, Seteth,” Byleth began as she started swimming toward the dock, “I am sure you must have gone swimming at one time or another.” 

“Well, of course I have, but—never mind. I realize that things are different here now and you two are no longer students, but please, I beg you, have some common decency. Especially you, Byleth.”

“Duly noted, Seteth.” Claude joined Byleth at the pier and then looked at Seteth still standing by the greenhouse. “I am about to help her out now, just fair warning. Don’t want you to be all shocked as you get an eyeful here. She is a sight to behold.”

“No! Wait!” He turned his back. “There. And the only reason I am not leaving as yet, is because I want to be sure you two get out.”

Once on the dock, Claude pulled his tunic over Byleth’s head and then pulled on his pajama pants. Since they were wet, the cloth clung to them, leaving little to the imagination causing them to chuckle before Byleth called out to Seteth, “We are out now and going on our way.”

“Thank you. See that I don’t catch you two in the pond again.”

Byleth giggled as she closed the door to her room and tossed her clothes into the corner. “I am sure I have not heard the end of this from Seteth,” she commented as she lit a couple more candles than the single one she had left burning in her darkened room.

“Probably not,” Claude agreed. “Whatever possessed you? I mean I am just a heathen at heart, but you, my dear,” he said as he flicked his eyes up and down her body clad in his tunic clinging to her damp body, “well, you are just the shining radiance of a goddess.”

“Am I?” She closed the gap between them wrapping her arms around his neck. “I don’t want to be. I want to be just a woman” her eyes stared into his as she continued, “enjoying the company of a scheming man that wildly attracts me.” Her lips sought his while she pressed her body against the length of his, lightly moaning as his tongue found its way into her mouth and his arms pulled her close. 

Claude relished the feel of her pressed against him, the damp and cool cloth being the only thing separating them from full contact. He let out a surprised grunt when she lifted a thigh, pressing it into his crotch while she trailed her tongue down his throat and bit into his shoulder. “A bit frisky there, aren’t you?”

Her hands moved around his hips now and she boldly pulled him against her. “I have waited long enough for you,” she admitted as she stared up into his eyes. “Tell me you don’t want it.”

“I can’t do that,” he answered in a quieted voice. “It’s all I can do to shake you out of my head at night.” His fingers worked to gather the material of the dampened tunic and pull it over her head before he captured a breast in each hand and tenderly squeezed before sliding his hands around her cooled skin to her back.

Byleth boldly slipped a hand under the waistband of his pants and captured his hardening cock in her hand wrapping her fingers around him. She smiled when he rocked into her hand and groaned. Her fingers eagerly explored every inch of him before dipping to cup his balls and then slowly trailing upward to the tip. He sighed and then muttered something in words she didn’t understand before he crushed his lips down on hers.

In a couple of swift motions, Claude was free of his pants and swept her into his arms tossing her onto her bed before coming down over her and staring into her eyes. “You are making me crazy with desires,” he nearly growled at her. His head dipped and he drew a nipple into his mouth while he moved to push his fingers between her thighs to feel her wet with arousal.

A moan of pure delight poured from her lips while her hands skated over his skin. His tongue and teeth teased her breast, fingers kneaded and caressed her folds making her delirious with pleasure. His tongue trailed up her chest to her throat, under her ear where he sucked enough to make a mark while dipping a finger into her. 

Claude nuzzled her neck, causing gooseflesh to leap to her skin. Her eyes closed as he swirled his fingers over her most sensitive area and nibbled on her ear lobe. Pushing two fingers into her, he slowly teased her to nearly howl in heated pleasure. “Come on, sweetheart, you’re almost there,” he purred into her ear. He could feel her soaking his hand as he worked to bring her to her climax. Her head tipped back, and with a throaty growl, she spasmed and jerked in released that left her panting.

Eyes wide with passion, Byleth stared at him for a moment before she pushed him to his back and captured his lips in a long, drugging kiss. “Your turn,” she cooed before she moved and slowly trailed down his abdomen, taking a moment to tenderly bite him here and there. She paused to look up at him, smiling at his expression of pure lust, before she wrapped her hand around his firm cock and drew it into her mouth. 

Claude moaned in response as she slowly pushed halfway down and drew back up again. He watched her, through half-closed eyes, sucking a deep breath when she pushed all the way down, taking his full length before sucking as she slowly pulled up. “Ah, holy hell, Byleth,” he whispered.

She relaxed her throat and pushed all the way down again before slowly drawing up. Her hands slid over his abdomen, enjoying the feel of his warm skin as she held his tip in her mouth and swirled her tongue. Slipping a hand down around his hip, she pushed it under his butt and squeezed a cheek as she drew his length into her mouth again, pulling a deep moan from his throat.

Feeling him twitch and his fingers lace into her hair, she released him and looked up. “Not yet,” she purred. Pushing up, she moved to press her lips to his, pushing her tongue into his mouth. Her eyes closed as his arms came around her nearly crushing the air from her lungs.

In steady fluid motion, he rolled her to her back and positioned himself over her. Scooping a hand under one of her thighs he lifted her leg and stared into her eyes. “Any objections?” 

“No.”

It was all he wanted to hear before he pushed into her, sighing at the feel of her. So wet and warm, she fit around him with perfection and he steadily moved into an easy rhythm. Her sighs and moans filled his ears, and he shifted his position draping her leg over his shoulder as he drove into her. 

Byleth reached out wrapping her hands around his back, her fingers digging into him as she could feel herself reaching her peak of pleasure again. Claude felt her spasm around him and then drove deeply into her again and again, nearly leaving her before feeling himself release, filling her up. Gulping a few deep breaths, he slowly withdrew and collapsed on his stomach beside her.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, through heavy breaths, as he looked at her, half his face buried in her pillow. “I should have pulled out, but you just felt so damn good.”

She rolled to her side and reached over to tuck his dark unruly hair behind his ear and away from his eyes. “It’s okay. I’m not worried. Whatever will be, will be right?”

He chuckled now. “All I can think about now is just how fucking amazing that was.” He lifted his arm and draped it over her as he continued to lay sprawled on his stomach.

“It was,” she agreed. “And if you stay,” she said as her finger traced along the whiskers adorning his jawline, “we can do it all over again in the morning.”

“I love the sound of that,” he mumbled as his eyes closed.

“Then it’s settled.” She leaned to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Good night, Claude.”

“Mmmm, night.”


End file.
